Tess Bright hasn't had the best year. She's recovering from losing her mother and her job. But she's determined to prove herself as a serious actress after landing her dream role in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Her mom was a huge Jane Austen fan and Tess wants to do her mom proud. But her co-star, very serious British actor Hugh Balfour, wants nothing to do with Teen Choice Award-winning actress Tess. He's stiff-upper-lip. She's a bit of a mess.

Sparks fly, literally, when there's an electrical accident on site. It sends the two feuding actors back 200 years into the Regency era. They have to rely on each other to convince others (including Hugh's ancestors) that they belong there while trying to find a way to get back to their time. And relying on each other leads to a grudging truce, which leads to a friendship, which leads to...more.

I've been in a romance reading slump lately, and this book absolutely pulled me out of it. I lapped it up. I lost track of what station I was at on the Metro because I was so invested in this story and these characters. The author perfectly balances humor and romance with a tinge of sadness, and she made me a big fan of Tess and Hugh.

This was truly a delight.

This book had a really engaging premise, the dynamic between the characters worked well, especially with the contrast in personalities and the slow shift from tension to connection. Their interactions felt natural and kept me invested.

That said, the romantic development felt a bit rushed. Tess’s feelings for Hugh seemed to jump from attraction to love without enough build-up. And while her fascination with the time period was understandable, she didn’t always seem to grasp the seriousness of their situation, which made parts of the story less believable. Still, I enjoyed the dialogue and the overall concept, it was a solid and entertaining read.

This book was an absolute blast to read. Who wouldn’t want to travel back into regency times? Ok maybe not actually but reading about it is so much fun. I had a great time!

Austen fans will love this! I had a blast. Slipping back into that time period is an absolute fantasy and it was so fun to come along on this adventure with these two. It took me a little while to warm up to our grumpy gus hero but I got there eventually. Looking forward to see what this author does next.

I am a sucker for anything Austen. Throw in time travel and I was sold. I loved the sassy main female character. She made me laugh out loud and the banter between her and Hugh was great. I loved their slow burn enemies to lovers. 5 stars!

This was such a fun read! I love Jane Austen novels and to have this set in her world was just a blast to read. I liked both of the main characters so much and I absolutely flew through this. Well done!

A really lovely read. A nice twist on time travel and a great understanding of the Jane Austen books. The hero and heroine were believable and it was lovely to see them grow in their relationship. The romance was believable and the Jane Austen twist elevated this book above the usual rom com. The novel is written gracefully with insight into the human condition and a nice dash of humor. If you are a fan of rom coms or Regency novels, I recommend this romantic novel.

Content warnings: grief over the loss of a parent

Tess Bright has just landed her dream role in a new adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey opposite highbrow British actor Hugh Balfour. Hugh is not impressed with the American actress whose stardom is equivalent to that of a Disney Channel kid. Despite their mutual dislike, their onscreen chemistry is what landed Tess the role.

When an on-set electrical accident sends them back to Austen's England, Tess and Hugh cobble their knowledge of the past into a plan to survive and send them back to the twenty-first century.

Recommended for fans of contemporary and historical romance who don't mind blending the two.

This book was SO much fun to read! The enemies-to-lovers duo had so much enjoyable banter and wonderful chemistry.I enjoyed the Austen references so much and had a lovely time reading this novel, Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded up to 4.
This book is super fun and funny and surprised me in the best way.
2 actors working on an Austen inspired film are thrown back in time to actual Austen era. Since they hate each other in modern time will they be able to work together in the past.
There’s quite a bit of predictable scenarios, but I feel like the main characters Tess and Hugh are endearing enough that you can’t help but root for them both.
The middle of the book seemed to be off on the pace of the beginning and end. I found myself dragging through a few of the middle chapters.

•Enemies to lovers
•Austen references
•a little bit of spice
•family dynamics

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this. Couldn't put it down and stayed up all night to finish it!

All the references to different Austen characters were so fun. The characters were adorable, and I love how they decided to make best of the situation until they could find a solution.

2.5⭐️ The Austen Affair follows two feuding costars of a Jane Austen film when they accidentally travel back in time to the regency era. So I have mixed opinions about this book… it was okay? I think in theory it was a fun concept but it just missed the mark for me and I don’t know if the authors writing style is for me. I also found the fmc Tess to be very childish and annoying for the first half of the book so it took me a hot minute to get through it. Things I did like, the general concept of their accidental journey back in time, the nods to all of Jane Austen’s work… however…. I’ve only read 2 Jane Austen novels and I haven’t seen a single film adaption so I will say I might’ve enjoyed it more if I was a more hard core Jane Austen fan. It was funny at times but I found most of the things that were meant to be amusing fell short and I really struggled to get into this book because I felt so disconnected from the characters. While this book wasn’t for me I can see how fans of Jane Austen would have fun with this lighthearted cozy read.

Rating: 3 & 1/2 🌟

The book started off a bit slow for me and took some time to get into. And while it started slow, it also felt rushed? Mostly with information on the characters that is important throughout the rest of the book. Anyway, what really redeemed it for me was the end of the book. I loved the regency drama and the way that Bell tied up the story. Throughout the book there were parts that dragged and didn’t feel necessary, but the last third of the book had me unable to put it down. I also liked the referencing of Austen’s work; it was a bit much in the beginning, but as the story went on it felt more like I was in an Austen novel rather than having them merely referenced. I haven’t read all of Jane Austen’s work but I look forward to reading more so that I can get some of the more subtle references I’m sure are sprinkled throughout!

Thanks to St Marten’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was SO fun. I am not the world's biggest Austen person, but I knew enough to follow the references, and I loved the layering of the celeb romance and time travel elements into this delightful story, as well as the way heavier topics like grief informed the characters' decisions and arcs.

I live for a slow burn enemies to lovers. Add Jane Austen and I’m actually dead. This was a very cute read, I loved the main characters and I loved little George. I, once again, wish this book was about 100 pages longer, I would have enjoyed reading more about filming the movie after their time in the past!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

Sadly, I did not love this as I would have hoped. It was maybe a 2.5 star read for me if I' being generous, but really probably closer to 2. I didn't love the characters, the writing was not my favorite, I really did not jive with the voice of the book. There were consistent typos. The premise was fun, but the execution was subpar for me.

I absolutely ADORED this! This is a literal dream for any Austen fans. A mixing pot of tension, humor, whimsy and sentiment, this story was both engrossing and cozy. I love love LOVED this

A beautiful read that was clearly well researched and stayed true to the Austen values. Absolutely loved this. Jane Austen would be proud!

The Austen Affair is a fun, fast-paced enemies-to-lovers romance with a time-travel twist. While I enjoyed the chemistry between Tess and Hugh, I wish there had been more setup to their animosity and stronger world-building. The Regency setting lacked vivid imagery, and the romance would’ve benefited from a deeper foundation. Still, the side characters shined, and the story was enjoyable overall—just not as fleshed out as it could have been.

If you're into that enemies-to-lovers, time-traveling chaos, then you NEED to add this to your TBR. Basically, these two actors, Tess and Hugh, who literally can't stand each other while filming a Northanger Abbey adaptation, get zapped back to Regency England. And let me tell you, the fish-out-of-water moments are hilarious! Their banter is just chef's kiss, and watching Hugh, the super serious method actor, try to navigate Jane Austen's world while Tess, who's a bit more of a hot mess, somehow thrives? Iconic. The chemistry is totally there, and I was genuinely rooting for them to figure out how to get back to their own time and admit their feelings. It's giving "Outlander" meets "Bridget Jones" meets "Pride and Prejudice," but in the best way. Seriously, it's witty, charming, and just a perfect escapist read if you're craving some Regency romance with a modern twist.